Vornado HU1-0012-11 Standard 2.8 Gallon Vortex Humidifier Review

Customer Ratings:

I've come to trust the Vornado brand, so I had no qualms about purchasing this humidifier. I generally keep it on the "low" setting and it is more than adequate for humidifying my bedroom. However, as others have noted when water is being fed into the main unit, it is loud. I can't say I've been woken up by it, but more than once I've been laying (awake) in bed and have been startled by it. The cat has become accustomed to it though. The filters do start turning brown relatively quickly, but I've not had any problems continuing to use them. The manual suggests you empty everything out if you're not going to use the humidifier for 12 hours, but I only use it at night and am too lazy to empty it out every single morning. Initially I was also concerned that the construction seemed a little flimsy, but I haven't had any problems. I would make sure to put it somewhere where it won't get bumped into though. Despite the "quirks", I would still recommend this product.

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We have tried just about every style and brand of humidifier, trying to find one that is NOT a giant hassle to maintain and is quiet enough that it doesn't keep me awake all night. To make a long story short, the Vortex evaporative humidifiers are the best. They are perfect for the humidity boost we need in winter.

The highest speed does sound like a small box fan, but we just turn the fan speed to the "low" setting at night, which makes it virtually silent. The Vortex does make a "glug" sound (3-6 glugs in a row, in my experience) when water from the bottle(s) periodically discharges (a couple times each night?) into the bottom of the unit. However, I found that my husband and I quickly got used to this. I can tolerate and sleep through this sound MUCH better than the continuous and louder giant-pot-of-boiling-pasta noise made by other humidifiers.

No doubt, how much cleaning and wick replacement you need to do depends on your water quality. I'm on municipal water, which I assume is about average, and my wicks last for at least 2 months of continuous operation. I occasionally use the wick life extension method of soaking them in water with 2 tsp of vinegar, but I don't think it helps all that much. The filters are easy to find and not terribly expensive. There is no complicated disassembly involved to clean the unit and change the wicks, since you just lift off the top and wipe out the base. I do this once a season, no problems. The accumulation of mineral deposits that need to be scraped and scrubbed off is WAY LESS than we had with any of the other humidifiers we tried. That is, we have NO scraping and scrubbing whatsoever with these units.

Trying to find a solution, we went so far as to have a built-in humidifier installed with our HVAC system (forced air). That system boosted the humidity 2% max, wasted water, and had an expensive filter/wick that was painful to change. Just TWO strategically placed Vortex humidifiers do an excellent job of humidifying for less money and hassle. We've had the built-in system deactivated for years now, relying only on the Vortexes ... or "Vortices", if you are a nerd such as myself. (-:

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Pros:

If you want to humidify a small to medium-sized room quietly and efficiently this is definitely the humidifier for you! I have owned other brands of humidifiers that are as loud or louder on their low speeds then the Vornado is at high speed. I found there to be No Loud Gurgling Sound from this humidifier when filling itself from the water tank. With the fan set on medium you can barley hear it & it does a fantastic job of maintaining a very comfotable humidity level.

Cons:

Removing the water tank from the humidifier is a bit awkward. Instead of placing a handle at the top of the tank (which would be easy to grab) the manufacturer opted to only put a slight bump there. You have to be careful carrying & then loading the water tank into the humidifier if it is filled to capacity; or else you might spill water all over the place. The control knob is hard to grab & turn. Anyone that has difficulty using their hands will find this feature very hard to deal with.

Over all the humidifier does what it is meant to do very well & very quietly. The problems are design flaws that Vornado can easily fix on future models if they so choose to do. I would not hesitate to recommend this humidifier to other people. Filter life is about 60 days.

Honest reviews on Vornado HU1-0012-11 Standard 2.8 Gallon Vortex Humidifier

Okay, this humidifier is good as all previous reviewer said. But one thing is deceptive about this humidifier. Manufacture claim that filter will sustain its use during 60 to 90 days. How come? I had my filter for 15 days and it begin to smell a little. Of course, you can use some water treatment solutions with your water and I guess this will prolong life of your humidifier to say 25 days. But I wouldn't imagine it last for more than 30 days. Of course, everyone has different water in their home, but it seems to me Manufacture used totally distilled without any impurities or mineral content water, in order, to claim one filter to work for a such long time. One more thing, if your house have some smells, they will somewhat diminish, but your filter will be smelling funny faster than usual. So, I think, in one sense, this filter acts as a cleaner of your surrounding air as well. In any case, I bought two of them (humidifiers) some extra filters and I am happy with it.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Vornado HU1-0012-11 Standard 2.8 Gallon Vortex Humidifier

We found the gurgling sound of the air going into the tank to be noticeable while we slept, but our brains learned to "tune out" that sound, as it does with all other sounds normal to one's environment. The fan is virtually noiseless, as this is the trademark of Vornado fans. Very simple and clean design.